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Thinner people, fatter wallets
Gold's Gym-sponsored research found that Americans' expanding waistlines comes with a price tag of $123 billion for the country, with obese Americans losing nearly $10,000 per year out of their own pockets -- based on the median U.S. salary of $48,451.
"If everyone began to take small steps towards healthy lifestyle changes, including a balanced diet and regular exercise, Americans' health and well-being would not only improve, but so would the
fiscal health of our nation," Robert Reames of Gold's Gym Fitness Institute, said in a statement.
Gold's Gym research includes that:
-- Obese Americans burn at least 9 more gallons of gas per year than a typical American for a fat gas tax of $36 annually.
-- An average of one full week of work is lost to obesity-related ailments for $932 in lost wage annually.
-- Americans spend 4 percent of annual income on clothing each year, but those who are obese pay an extra 25 percent for their clothes, or $485 annually.
-- Obese Americans will often pay for an extra seat on flights for a fat tax of $828 annually.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
This news arrived on: 08/28/2008
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Posted Comments:
09-04-2008 08:11
Broke in VA wrote:
Gold's Gym-Bad Economics
Gold's Gym is the reason my wallet is a lot lighter and my fitness is not so good. After being a member for about 6 months, I developed a torn cartiledge in my knee and had an operation to correct it. Gold's Gym would not let me out of the 2 year + 3 months contract(if they give you a special at the front end of the contract they make you pay those extra months in full dues at the end). They would not even extend my use of the gym for the time that I was laid up and unable to walk!! So, my husband and I paid Gold's Gym nearly $1300 for services we were unable to use. If you wanted to give advice on how to be healthy and save money, you could not have chosen a worse example to use!!
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